Um, yeah. This has, uh, been sitting around for a while. Well. Less than three weeks, but stiiiilll. Anyway, I finally got around to typing it up, so here ya go.
There was no preamble. It was just a simple statement. To anyone else, the way he said it wouldn't have even sounded abnormal. But Leon could sense the determination in Cloud's voice, and it almost frightened him.
"I love you," he'd said. Simple. Short. It had almost sounded detached. Cloud hadn't even torn his eyes away from the horizon, Leon discovered when he nearly broke his beck whipping his head around to look, aghast, at his companion.
"What?" Leon asked unintentionally sharply.
"I love you," the blonde repeated. He said it like it was no big deal, but Leon still saw how every muscle tensed in wait for a response. When no response came after a while, Cloud sagged a little and let out a small sigh. He started to get up, but a gentle hand on his arm stopped him.
"Don't leave," Leon said quietly. "I don't…" He took a deep breath. "I care about you-- you know that."
Cloud nodded. He could see it in the way Leon reserved his smile for only him; he could hear it in the way Leon said his name; he could feel it in the way Leon touched him so gently, almost reverently.
"But… I don't know if I…" The hand on Cloud's arm fell back to its original position beside its owner's hip.
Cloud leaned in just a little. "You don't hate me. Isn't that enough for now?"
Leon gave a small hopeful smile. "I don't want this to change," he admitted.
Cloud just smiled to himself. He could tell now that Leon did love him. He just had to wait until Leon noticed.
Pretty please review? :)